The name Yate comes from the old English word “gate” translating into “gateway into a forest”.
The earliest mention of Yate dates back to around AD770 as a religious house and within Yate there is the local Heritage Centre that can trace back the history of Yate – it’s a fascinating place to visit.
In the 13th Century – Yate was littered with Manor Houses housing the local landed gentry and controlling the many farms in the area. Some evidence of these Manors still exist with Poole Court and Stanshawes Court to mention a few.
In the 19th & 20th Centuries Yate became known for its mining of minerals – Yate has plenty of evidence of this today with mining still going on in Chipping Sodbury. The railway link opened in 1844 and still operates to this day – providing links into Bristol, Bath and Gloucester.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s Newmans and Parnells Factories moved to Yate manufacturing aircraft parts and electrical motors – modern Yate started at this time with families moving and setting up home in the area. In the Second World War the Luftwaffe bombed Parnells in March 1941 killing 53 people. The old Parnells factory site on Station Road is now owned by Indesit.
Yate began to significantly change from the 1960’s from a small town to a much larger town that has grown to be larger still and is continuing to grow.
The legendary Yate Shopping Centre is a massive feature of the area with all the major retailers being featured like Next, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Superdrug, Pandora, TK Maxx, Pets at Home and Iceland to mention a few. There is every coffee shop represented too including Costa Coffee, Coffee One and Starbucks. Fast food outlets are plentiful including MacDonalds, Dominos Pizza and Subway. There are also a number of pubs and restaurant chains such as Nandos, Frankie & Bennies, JD Wetherspoons and more.
